Beyond The Ancient Gateway
524 Words
The stone arch groaned as centuries of silence broke apart. Dust drifted into the air while silver light poured from the widening c***k at its center.
Kael instinctively stepped back.
Lyra raised her bow, an arrow already nocked. “Whatever comes through,” she whispered, “be ready.”
But nothing emerged.
Instead, the light formed a shimmering path leading into the gateway.
Elder Soren’s warning echoed in Kael’s mind: The stone chose you.
He reached into his pocket and held the glowing stone in his hand. The moment it faced the gateway, the symbols carved into the arch blazed with dazzling light.
A voice, ancient and calm, echoed all around them.
“Only the Nameless Child may enter.”
The light pushed Lyra back several steps. She struggled against it but could go no farther.
“Kael!” she shouted. “You have to go alone.”
He hesitated. Every instinct told him to stay. Yet another feeling—one he couldn’t explain—pulled him toward the gateway.
Taking a deep breath, Kael stepped through.
The world disappeared.
For a heartbeat, there was only darkness.
Then he found himself standing beneath a sky unlike anything he had ever seen. Three moons hung overhead, their pale light illuminating vast plains of silver grass that swayed without wind.
Towering crystal pillars rose in the distance, and rivers of glowing water flowed silently between them.
“This isn’t possible,” Kael whispered.
“It is.”
The voice came from behind him.
He turned to see an elderly woman dressed in robes woven with strands of silver and blue. Her eyes glowed faintly, filled with both kindness and sorrow.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Seraphine. I was once one of the Keepers of Names.”
Kael frowned. “Keepers… of Names?”
She nodded.
“Long ago, every child born into the world received more than a name. They were given a True Name—a name tied to their destiny, their strength, and their place in the balance of the world.”
She looked directly into Kael’s eyes.
“But you were different.”
“My parents never named me,” Kael replied quietly.
“No,” Seraphine said. “They did.”
Kael’s heart skipped a beat.
“They gave you the most powerful name ever spoken.”
“Then why can’t I remember it?”
“Because it was hidden.”
She pointed toward a distant mountain where an enormous temple stood beneath the three moons.
“The one who erased your memory is waiting there.”
Before Kael could ask another question, the ground shook violently.
Dark clouds rolled across the strange sky.
A shadow larger than any creature he had ever imagined circled above the temple.
Seraphine’s expression changed from calm to alarm.
“We’re too late.”
The shadow let out a deafening roar that echoed across the valley.
“The Hunter has found you.”
Far away, two burning crimson eyes locked onto Kael.
Then the creature spread its massive wings and plunged toward him.
- Writer
